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As many of you may or may not know I have finally taken re-delivery of my M5 after doing an epic European Delivery trip way back on Sept 1st. I just wanted to offer some final closing remarks since taking re-delivery yesterday.

First off I would like to say that 10 weeks was way too long to wait for the car to get back me. With that, I will say that European Delivery is not for the faint of heart, but in the end it was definitely worth it, as I now have some very fond memories and experiences from driving my M5 in Europe for 6 days. Just knowing that my particular M5 was driven on the Nurburgring is a feeling of elation that is almost impossible to match. And the fact that I was able to save a boat load of money on the price of the M5 makes it worth it in the end as well. European Delivery is for those who understand the meaning of delayed gratification rather than those who only know instant gratification. I guess you pay a premium, which is US MSRP when you by directly from the dealership here in the U.S. Watching all of the other people in the country take delivery of their new Beasts, driving them, taking them to the SEMA show, and even to the Shift Sector Runway Races was all pretty disheartening while I was waiting, waiting, and waiting for my M5 to get back to me.

After I picked it up last night however, I will say that the eternal waiting I did was well worth it. There is nothing like the BMW M5, it doesnít matter which generation. This type of car, this type of BMW is to me what a high performance sedan should be, and like I said, it doesnít matter which generation. In their time, each M5 was always the benchmark of what a super saloon should be, and it still is.

Jon at BMW of Santa Barbara was just phenomenal as always. He picked me up right on time at the train station and drove me to the dealership in 5-Series GT. We made jokes on the way there, with him making the funny comment that the dealership uses the 5er GT as a shuttle because they simply cannot sell such an ugly looking car. Haha! He dropped me off right in front of my M5 and then went to go park the shuttle.

When I first saw it I just felt this huge feeling of relief. Like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I thought to myself, ďitís actually here, right in front me, Iím not imagining it!Ē Jon feels like every delivery no matter U.S. or European Re-Delivery should be an experience to remember. He set a huge red bow on top of it like many of you have seen on cars such as BarryBís M5. It is simple things like that, that sets him apart from every other BMW salesman Iíve ever met. He also mentioned to me that all of the F10 M5 customers he has met because of my referral to him are just another breed of M5 owners. More than enthusiasts, people beyond passion, we bleed white and blue, and I think heís right. I gave him a T-Shirt that I bought him at the Welt that I had been waiting 2 and Ĺ months to give him as well, he loved it. Iím a firm believer that business shouldnít just be business; it should be personal and meaningful as well.

As I left the dealership, sitting in driverís seat, feeling the squishiness of the ///M steering wheel in my hand, and making that first turn out of the dealership, there was an extreme sense of surrealism swept over me. My senses simply could not comprehend that I was driving the same car that I raced an Audi R8 on the highway in France with, or the same car that I hit 162mph on the Autobahn with, or the same car that I felt the presence of God with while driving on the Grossglockner Pass in Austria. No it didnít feel real to me at all. In fact my muscle memory was all out of whack when I started driving the M5. Iíve been driving my manual 5spd Fiat 500 for the past 5 months now and I kept moving my left leg up and down as if I needed to push in the clutch on the manual. LOL!

As soon as I got on the highway I put on some music to blast on the Bang & Olufsen sound system and was on my way home. After driving some time on the highway, I actually became a little depressed. The reason was because I was trying to take it easy in the new M5, chilling in the middle lane doing the speed limit, and I was having Toyota Priuses fly by me on the right, and Ford Expiditions on my ass. There were two things wrong with this picture, 1. thereís like no Priuses in Europe, and 2. nobody and I mean nobody passes on the right in Europe. In over 2,000 miles of driving on European roads and highways did I ever see anyone commit either one of those 2 atrocities. This saddened me. To me, I felt like perhaps, the best days of driving in the 560hp F10 M5 were already behind me. I could never drive the way that I did in Europe again, at least not legally. American drivers are so horrible that it almost just angers me at times.

I hit a lot of traffic in LA, despite my best attempts to use my WAZE App on my iPhone. There were also a few clowns that tried to race me in 6mph traffic. I was like really?! I soon realized that I had to adapt to my environment again, and accept the old motto, if you canít beat them, join them. Soon enough I was using my 500ft/lbs of torque to dart in between Priuses and get away from them. After the traffic opened to normal cruising speeds I had 2 motorcycle CHP cops on my ass at different times. I thought they were going to pull me over because I left the Euro Plate on my trunk. But no, they just wanted to harass me I guess. I ended up not getting pulled over, but man just leave me alone. In the end, I know I will have fun with this M5 just as I did with my E60 M5, but I just have to acclimate myself back to the cat and mouse game with American police, and the dodging of idiot drivers again. That drive along Highway 1 in Malibu sure was epic though.

When I got home, I carefully backed the new Beast in my garage, being ever so careful. It was great going to bed last night knowing that she was finally home. I almost slept in the M5 last night too. LOL! I just wanted to continue to know that it was real.

So now, life goes on. I am already taking the new Beast to my first car event in San Diego this Saturday. I donít have time to put any clear-bra on or start to do other mods within the next couple of weeks because I am too busy with my schedule though. I did get some Trac-Wrap for temporary protection and will be doing a Sunday mountain drive in the morning. I should be able to get my friends to join me. After that I am planning on Opti-Coating the entire M5 on Sunday.

So if any of you are ever in San Diego, and you see a black F10 M5 fly by you at 150mph thatíll be me.

I understand completely your feelings about driving on US roads again after experiencing the glorious sensation of driving on the mighty Autobahns of Europe. You learn to really trust the drivers over there. They drive with respect for their fellow travelers. They stay right, they always signal their lane changes, and they know to watch out for faster drivers. More than once I experienced someone who thought about pulling out from behind slower traffic that they were approaching on a two-lane section only to check their mirrors and see that I was traveling much faster than them and waiting until I passed before they pulled out to pass.

We need stronger laws about keeping right except to pass and always signalling your lane changes and your turns. Our drivers need to be educated on these things, respecting other drivers, and really learning how to drive rather than just being a passenger in their own vehicle oblivious to everything that's going on around themselves.

I understand completely your feelings about driving on US roads again after experiencing the glorious sensation of driving on the mighty Autobahns of Europe. You learn to really trust the drivers over there. They drive with respect for their fellow travelers. They stay right, they always signal their lane changes, and they know to watch out for faster drivers. More than once I experienced someone who thought about pulling out from behind slower traffic that they were approaching on a two-lane section only to check their mirrors and see that I was traveling much faster than them and waiting until I passed before they pulled out to pass.

We need stronger laws about keeping right except to pass and always signalling your lane changes and your turns. Our drivers need to be educated on these things, respecting other drivers, and really learning how to drive rather than just being a passenger in their own vehicle oblivious to everything that's going on around themselves.

Thanks for the great follow-up!

The more I think about how bad our drivers are over here, about our driving laws, and the state of our national highway system, the more I want to become a Congressman and effect some real change. I'm being totally serious too.

+1 on the sentiments above re US drivers vs German drivers. It is sooo difficult to come back here and watch cops and everyone else change lanes, make turns without using their turn signals. However, we must acknowledge that it is not illegal to pass on the right around here. I haven't been very active at the ED forum lately, but reading the OP made me want to do the ED thing again. And soon BMW will have a full line-up of diesel's in the US market. Hmm, this could be expensive.
Thanks for sharing a well written experience.

I'll be a new BMW owner in a few days (just an sDrive281 X1 - powered like a Tercel compared to some BMWs!). But some of the above makes me smile, because everyone must know the joke about porcupines and BMWs...maybe you've heard it about other car manufacturers? But BMW drivers do have a certain rep. I myself often wondered in the past, "For such an expensive car, BMWs don't seem to come equipped with turn signals...." But I guess that's just USA BMW drivers! Or Los Angeles ones...

The more I think about how bad our drivers are over here, about our driving laws, and the state of our national highway system, the more I want to become a Congressman and effect some real change. I'm being totally serious too.

21754. The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass to the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions:

(a) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn.

(b) Upon a highway within a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of moving vehicles in the direction of travel.

(c) Upon any highway outside of a business or residence district with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width and clearly marked for two or more lines of moving traffic in the direction of travel.

(d) Upon a one-way street.

(e) Upon a highway divided into two roadways where traffic is restricted to one direction upon each of such roadways.

The provisions of this section shall not relieve the driver of a slow moving vehicle from the duty to drive as closely as practicable to the right hand edge of the roadway.

Congrats on the beauty. I am hoping to pick up my long lost ED baby in a week from Santa Barbara. Crossing my fingers. Did your car take so long because of the M5 recall repair? I am only at 6 weeks at this point and she is on California soil already.

How would you legislate against simple stupidity and lack of manners? It's not in America's cultural makeup to be as ordered, courteous, well-educated and efficient as the Germans. Give us a plan and you'd get my vote.

How would you legislate against simple stupidity and lack of manners? It's not in America's cultural makeup to be as ordered, courteous, well-educated and efficient as the Germans. Give us a plan and you'd get my vote.

Indeed, the thing is that the Germans weren't born as well-educated, ordered, and courteous. They were taught to be that way growing up and learned it from their institutions.

One day when I'm El Presidente, I will mandate that it will cost a minimum of $5,000 to get your drivers license, then you must pass a 6 month driving school, complete with advanced car control clinics, like BMW CCA driving courses, where you learn how to regain control of an out of control vehicle. Then if you lose you license for any reason, you have to wait like 3 years before you can re-apply and then the tests you must go through will be twice as long and twice as hard.

Then I will regulate vehicle safety standards even further. No more American made SUV's with brake discs the size of washers. If you want to make a 6,000 lb SUV, then you better put some real stopping power in it and a suspension as good as the X5M's.

There shall be a complete and seperate driving lane for Toyota Priuses and certain Electric only or EV vehicles. Cars such as the Telsa Model S shall be able to be driven in any lane they want. If you are caught in the Toyota Prius driving lane you will be fined $1,000 dollars. These lanes will only exist in major metropilitan areas with populations of over 1 million people.

No speed limit on certain sections of the highway, just like the autobahn. However, the no speed limit law shall only apply to vehicles that can handle those kinds of speeds. So no doing 160mph in a Toyota Camry. There will be speed limiters in all vehicles not capable of safely travelling at those speeds, limiting them to about 90mph.

A complete reconstruction of the American Highway System. Yes it will cost trillions of dollars but it will also save lives, increase fuel efficiency and increase the flow of traffic. The Europeans build their highways 6 feet deep into the ground and use conrete. We currently only build our highways 3 feet deep and use asphalt on the top layer which must be repaved at least once every 5 to 10 years and keeps costing the government trillions, because it must constantly be repaved. The European system never has to have their highways repaved because they are built to last.

Build a high speed rail system between every major U.S. city, comparable to Europes. This will get more cars off the roads and highways.

DUI's will be punished by the loss of your drivers license for the rest of your life, no exceptions.

Last State Troopers shall not be used as revenue generators for a States own treasuries. State Troopers shall only be used to assist and protect motorists and not be allowed to enforce traffic violations. This will increase the safety of the State Troopers. State Troopers shall also be used to assist in the hunt down of real criminals on the highway. Those people who rob banks or commit murder and such. The duty for traffic violation enforcement shall be regulated to traffic cameras.

Being able to drive in the United States will be a much more valuable thing to those who earn it. When we value something more we are more apt to take care of it and protect it.

Some of these ideas might seem far fetched. If you think so go read about the driving laws in Japan or heck even Canada!

Indeed, the thing is that the Germans weren't born as well-educated, ordered, and courteous. They were taught to be that way growing up and learned it from their institutions.

One day when I'm El Presidente, I will mandate that it will cost a minimum of $5,000 to get your drivers license, then you must pass a 6 month driving school, complete with advanced car control clinics, like BMW CCA driving courses, where you learn how to regain control of an out of control vehicle. Then if you lose you license for any reason, you have to wait like 3 years before you can re-apply and then the tests you must go through will be twice as long and twice as hard.

Then I will regulate vehicle safety standards even further. No more American made SUV's with brake discs the size of washers. If you want to make a 6,000 lb SUV, then you better put some real stopping power in it and a suspension as good as the X5M's.

There shall be a complete and seperate driving lane for Toyota Priuses and certain Electric only or EV vehicles. Cars such as the Telsa Model S shall be able to be driven in any lane they want. If you are caught in the Toyota Prius driving lane you will be fined $1,000 dollars. These lanes will only exist in major metropilitan areas with populations of over 1 million people.

No speed limit on certain sections of the highway, just like the autobahn. However, the no speed limit law shall only apply to vehicles that can handle those kinds of speeds. So no doing 160mph in a Toyota Camry. There will be speed limiters in all vehicles not capable of safely travelling at those speeds, limiting them to about 90mph.

A complete reconstruction of the American Highway System. Yes it will cost trillions of dollars but it will also save lives, increase fuel efficiency and increase the flow of traffic. The Europeans build their highways 6 feet deep into the ground and use conrete. We currently only build our highways 3 feet deep and use asphalt on the top layer which must be repaved at least once every 5 to 10 years and keeps costing the government trillions, because it must constantly be repaved. The European system never has to have their highways repaved because they are built to last.

Build a high speed rail system between every major U.S. city, comparable to Europes. This will get more cars off the roads and highways.

DUI's will be punished by the loss of your drivers license for the rest of your life, no exceptions.

Last State Troopers shall not be used as revenue generators for a States own treasuries. State Troopers shall only be used to assist and protect motorists and not be allowed to enforce traffic violations. This will increase the safety of the State Troopers. State Troopers shall also be used to assist in the hunt down of real criminals on the highway. Those people who rob banks or commit murder and such. The duty for traffic violation enforcement shall be regulated to traffic cameras.

Being able to drive in the United States will be a much more valuable thing to those who earn it. When we value something more we are more apt to take care of it and protect it.

Some of these ideas might seem far fetched. If you think so go read about the driving laws in Japan or heck even Canada!

I like all the points except the $5k thing. It shouldnt be a privilege only for the rich. Costing a ton of money doesnt prevent bad drivers from getting their licenses. Hell look at most MB drivers. Horrible!

The drivers education needs to be more thorough. It needs to be required in all states. And it needs to cover all aspects of the road and all standard vehicle types. My friends in England can drive up to a semi when they got their license.

Make people learn how to drive a motorcycle, a car, a SUV, a box truck, a car with a trailer and a 5 ton. It will give them more respect of those around them and definitely more aware of the limitations of the vehicles around them. That would be my 2 cents added to the platform.

I like all the points except the $5k thing. It shouldnt be a privilege only for the rich. Costing a ton of money doesnt prevent bad drivers from getting their licenses. Hell look at most MB drivers. Horrible!

The drivers education needs to be more thorough. It needs to be required in all states. And it needs to cover all aspects of the road and all standard vehicle types. My friends in England can drive up to a semi when they got their license.

Make people learn how to drive a motorcycle, a car, a SUV, a box truck, a car with a trailer and a 5 ton. It will give them more respect of those around them and definitely more aware of the limitations of the vehicles around them. That would be my 2 cents added to the platform.

All good points! I'll add these to my platform when I'm in the running. RPi M5 for Congress 2020! Yeah baby!

Great post! I hear you man. It's kinda weird for me driving my car in normal situations. Driving it to and from work is weird, as I was used to driving the car in some sort of adventure. Whether it was to go to Berlin or drive through the Smokies, it was always something exciting. Now, I have the car where I dreamed it will be, but it's not the same. Still love the car, just dreaming that I'm always in a European Delivery. Your post brings back so many memories. Thanks!

OP, thanks for the post. If it will help you, I had the same experience but immediately when I landed back in US and started driving home. It was so bad that I seriously considered selling my car as soon as it came back.

No, no good intentions and legislation will change anything unless mothers start teaching children respect for other members of a society. As long as you see people block aisles in supermarket, block 15 ft wide corridors in the mall spreading the three-wide just enough so nobody walking faster can go past them, doing exactly the same thing in airports, sidewalks in midtown Manhattan ... as long as you can see these self-absorbed people thinking they are in the middle of the Midwestern farm miles away for other humans, there will be no improvement in how they behave in traffic. No matter traffic laws you put in place.

Sorry.

Oh, there's also another aspect of the sociopath behavior legitimized by our legal system and blown out of proportion with cases like McDonald's and hot coffee. That aspect is about how to solve one's problems. As long as it is not STRICTLY illegal, it is perfectly OK to solve self-caused problems by making it everybody else's problem. Traffic example? You made a mistake and ended up in left turn lane but you want to go straight. What to do? Well, it's obvious! When the left turn lane gets the green, you just wait until it gets red again, then wait for all the cars that are going straight to pass, then just slip into going-straight lane. If anybody stopped behind you honks at you, they are just inconsiderate, BMW-driving assh0les. And that's just one. I also LOVE how they think they have God-given birthright to turn left absolutely anywhere - even at 7:45 AM exiting the gas station 20 ft from a traffic signal crossing 6 lanes of traffic and blocking at least two of them until the opposed direction traffic clears. All the while the two blocked lanes have a green light. And there's MANY more where those two came from ...

OP, thanks for the post. If it will help you, I had the same experience but immediately when I landed back in US and started driving home. It was so bad that I seriously considered selling my car as soon as it came back.

No, no good intentions and legislation will change anything unless mothers start teaching children respect for other members of a society. As long as you see people block aisles in supermarket, block 15 ft wide corridors in the mall spreading the three-wide just enough so nobody walking faster can go past them, doing exactly the same thing in airports, sidewalks in midtown Manhattan ... as long as you can see these self-absorbed people thinking they are in the middle of the Midwestern farm miles away for other humans, there will be no improvement in how they behave in traffic. No matter traffic laws you put in place.

Hey no worries bro. I wholeheartedly agree with this. It is absolutely a cultural thing. One good thing about culture though is that it changes about every 20 years. For those who we're old enough to drive during the 1950's, can you honestly say that people still drive in America the same way now as we did back then? The answer is no, but I know that we will get back to that way of thinking one day in the future, because it's all a cycle.

Thanks for the write up. You are right--the wait can be painful. I dropped my Frozen Grey M5 of in Paris on Sept 14. I'm told it was released to trucking for delivery to the dealership at the NJ VDC yesterday. The wait is absolutely killing me.

The car was actually ready to 4 weeks ago, but the combination of having to replace a front bumper that Germany did not have and the hurricane slowed things to less than a crawl.

The trip was worth the wait. In fact, the trip with the car was almost better than having the car stateside. I can relate to equating the car with good drivers, adventures, and amazing experiences. Having the car stateside, meh. Wife on the other hand is extremely happy to have her car stateside and driving around on familiar territory.

I totally get your point about ED making the car special. 6-years in to owning my 330i I am nowhere close to selling it. Part of that is because we have all of these memories of our trip and pictures of us with the car in places like Pisa, Rome, Pompeii, Florence. I turn 40 next year and may do an ED on an M3, just maybe...

Will look for your F10 around town. You'll see me in my 330i or my Z4 Coupe.

Indeed, the thing is that the Germans weren't born as well-educated, ordered, and courteous. They were taught to be that way growing up and learned it from their institutions.

One day when I'm El Presidente, I will mandate that it will cost a minimum of $5,000 to get your drivers license, then you must pass a 6 month driving school, complete with advanced car control clinics, like BMW CCA driving courses, where you learn how to regain control of an out of control vehicle. Then if you lose you license for any reason, you have to wait like 3 years before you can re-apply and then the tests you must go through will be twice as long and twice as hard.

Then I will regulate vehicle safety standards even further. No more American made SUV's with brake discs the size of washers. If you want to make a 6,000 lb SUV, then you better put some real stopping power in it and a suspension as good as the X5M's.

There shall be a complete and seperate driving lane for Toyota Priuses and certain Electric only or EV vehicles. Cars such as the Telsa Model S shall be able to be driven in any lane they want. If you are caught in the Toyota Prius driving lane you will be fined $1,000 dollars. These lanes will only exist in major metropilitan areas with populations of over 1 million people.

No speed limit on certain sections of the highway, just like the autobahn. However, the no speed limit law shall only apply to vehicles that can handle those kinds of speeds. So no doing 160mph in a Toyota Camry. There will be speed limiters in all vehicles not capable of safely travelling at those speeds, limiting them to about 90mph.

A complete reconstruction of the American Highway System. Yes it will cost trillions of dollars but it will also save lives, increase fuel efficiency and increase the flow of traffic. The Europeans build their highways 6 feet deep into the ground and use conrete. We currently only build our highways 3 feet deep and use asphalt on the top layer which must be repaved at least once every 5 to 10 years and keeps costing the government trillions, because it must constantly be repaved. The European system never has to have their highways repaved because they are built to last.

Build a high speed rail system between every major U.S. city, comparable to Europes. This will get more cars off the roads and highways.

DUI's will be punished by the loss of your drivers license for the rest of your life, no exceptions.

Last State Troopers shall not be used as revenue generators for a States own treasuries. State Troopers shall only be used to assist and protect motorists and not be allowed to enforce traffic violations. This will increase the safety of the State Troopers. State Troopers shall also be used to assist in the hunt down of real criminals on the highway. Those people who rob banks or commit murder and such. The duty for traffic violation enforcement shall be regulated to traffic cameras.

Being able to drive in the United States will be a much more valuable thing to those who earn it. When we value something more we are more apt to take care of it and protect it.

Some of these ideas might seem far fetched. If you think so go read about the driving laws in Japan or heck even Canada!

I agree with just about everything you say, except

But Germany is the size of Montana. The former East has clearly worse infrastructure, France has a 5Ä tollbooth every third speed camera (every 5km) because the highways are private, and god forbid you drive in Poland.

I can beat the ICE and a plane from Munich to Berlin, which is a straight shot with it's own highway.

German millenials are also brats, almost as bad as I am

/sarcasm

I think there is a lot to be said about limits, and respecting them. Its like flying, you're not going to bank a 747 like you would a sport aircraft, and the Airbus has a nanny system that won't let you.

Following distance and failure to move to the right are the biggest issues. Morons from Ohio block the left lane in SC, where we function perfectly fine driving 90 mph until they bunch everyone up into a chain reaction wreck. If cops would enforce left lane hogs, they would actually reduce the number of wrecks, fatalities, insurance, etc. But small town cops sit out there with the radar gun on.

I'm also a huge supporter of State Inspections, even through when I lived in Maine, I got bent over every damn time for tires, CV boots, etc. I didn't need extra insurance for people without brakes.

And my 328i is mine until I die. I will never forget heckling the hookers in Innsbruck and forgetting to close the sunroof.